A Pennsylvania firm that provides mobile x-ray services will pay the U.S. government $50,000 to resolve charges that it improperly billed Medicare for mobile studies.
Physician's Mobile X-Ray was accused under the False Claims Act of improperly billing Medicare for the transportation component of x-ray equipment when x-ray services were provided to more than one Medicare beneficiary at the same location during the same trip, according to U.S. Attorney David Freed.
Medicare reimburses providers for a transportation component associated with mobile imaging services, but the component should be apportioned when more than one patient at the same location receives an x-ray during the same visit, Freed said.
Physician's Mobile X-Ray failed to apportion its charges between 2014 and 2019, leading to overcharges to Medicare, according to the lawsuit.
The company cooperated in reaching a resolution that is fair to the taxpayers and the business, according to Freed. In addition, the firm updated its internal review protocols to prevent similar overcharges in the future.
